


The Last Stand

by gleefulmusings



Series: Ad Interim [2]
Category: Angel: the Series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed (TV), Glee, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-21
Updated: 2017-06-21
Packaged: 2018-11-16 21:14:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11261136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gleefulmusings/pseuds/gleefulmusings
Summary: His coven destroyed and the Charmed Ones missing, Kurt prepares for the end of the world, but he has one last call to make.





	The Last Stand

**Author's Note:**

> This is an alternate ending to my story _The Gloaming_. It was one I was considering, but have since disregarded. It will not be happening in the primary story, but I decided to post it in this series of rejected scenarios from some of my works in progress, showing you how things might have gone.

“Sir, there is a live feed attempting to override my systems.”

Tony glanced up from shoveling food in his mouth and gaped unattractively.

“No one can hack my network!” he protesting, spraying a mist of food directly in the path of Steve Rogers, who bellowed with rage.

“I do not comprehend how this is possible,” Jarvis admitted, “but it is apparently urgent and the party is demanding to be heard.”

Tony sighed. “If someone really figured out how patch into my server, I want to talk to them. Especially since they want to speak with me so badly.”

There was an air of smug condescension in his voice that annoyed even Bruce.

“Apologies sir, but the communique is intended for Black Widow.”

Natasha narrowed her eyes. “Get on with it.”

A translucent screen descended from the ceiling at the foot of the table. After a moment of static, the face of a young man, more of a child, came into view.

Natasha paled and stood.

“Hi, Natty,” the boy said softly, his startling blue eyes rimmed red with violet shadows beneath them. His skin was pale and flawless, save the livid gash that ran above his left eye and the bruised lip. His hair was matted with blood and dirt.

“Kurt, what’s happening?” she demanded.

“It’s begun,” he said, defeat in his voice. “I don’t have much time.”

“Widow?” Hawkeye quietly asked, standing and crossing to his friend.

“The others?” she asked, ignoring him.

The boy's eyes closed in pain and she brought up a shaky hand to cover her mouth as she shook her head, eyes wide with horror.

“Quinn and Santana are gone. The Pentad is broken.”

“No,” she denied. She refused to accept the girls were dead. They were too strong, too stubborn. They would never leave Kurt.

“They died saving me. I was … I was arrogant,” he admitted. “I thought I could handle …” He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter now.”

Bruce and Steve looked at each other, each horribly confused and reeling from the agony Natasha was radiating. Never had they seen her so emotional. It honestly frightened them.

“Brittany?” Natasha whispered.

“She’s in a coma. It doesn’t look good.”

“She has an impenetrable shield, Kurt!” she screamed. “How in the name of god is this possible?”

“She can’t shield her mind, Natty. She never could. The Senior Partners somehow managed to hack into the psychic pathways the Powers use to send her the visions.”

“Angel killed them!” she insisted.

Kurt sighed. “He thought he did.”

“This can’t be happening!”

“Natty, I need you to listen to me, okay? I don’t have much time. The Elders managed to grab the sisters, their spouses, and the kids and have sealed them Up There. They’ve retreated from this world and recalled all Whitelighters from Earth, along with their charges. Except for a few others, I’m the only one who remains. Xander has been taken to the Underworld by the Source himself. Prue, Buffy, and the others have gone after him.”

“They left you alone?” she screeched.

Tony was trying to process what little information was offered, but he was absolutely flummoxed and could make sense of none of it. He turned to Pepper, but she was engrossed in the screen, tears streaking down her face. He knew she couldn’t stand it when kids were hurt. 

“You know that Xander is far more important in all of this than I am,” Kurt barked. “Yes, he _is_ , Natty. I’m the muscle. That’s my job, to protect my King. That’s the purpose of the Hand.”

A shaken Thor rose to his feet. “You are the Hand?”

“I am, Thor Odinson, and before I depart this mortal coil, I must beg of you a great kindness.”

Thor threw out an arm in salute before laying it across his chest. “I am honored.”

“Please look after my sister for me.”

Thor frowned in confusion, but Kurt’s gaze had returned to Natasha.

“Natty, the greatest gift I have been given in this life was finding you. All of our family, my friends, Mike and Sam … I’ve been so very blessed, but until I found you, there were pieces missing from my life I never even knew were gone.”

“No, no, no,” Natasha begged, her knees swinging inward. She was grabbed and held up by Clint before she collapsed.

“You’ve given my life meaning and joy,” Kurt continued, tears now falling from his eyes. “It has been my great privilege to call you my sister, but you knew it would come down to this. To me.”

He hastily wiped his eyes and stared at her. “Listen, _please_ listen. I dosed Dad, Carole, and Finn with memory dust and teleported them to your apartment. They shouldn’t wake for several hours. By then, hopefully, most of this will be over. Prue, Xander, and the sisters should be able to handle the cleanup.”

If there was any to be had.

He swallowed heavily. “Mike and Sam are still here. They refused to leave no matter how much I begged or threatened. Illyria also elected to stay with me. I’m not alone, but this is the end.”

“Just tell me where you are,” she begged. “Please, baby, please just wait for me.”

“Natty, you’re not magical. There’s nothing you can do to stop them. You know this. I’m going to die. I accepted that long ago, and you have to, as well.”

He pursed his lips and straightened his shoulders. “But I promise you this. Before I go, I will take as many of these evil fucks with me as I can.”

“Kurt …”

“I love you. Goodbye.”

The connection was terminated.

“Get him back!” Natasha screamed.

“Jarvis!” Tony thundered.

“I am sorry, sir. I am unable to trace the signal.”

Natasha sagged in Clint’s arms. “He destroyed the phone or blocked it magically.”

“You are the sister of the Hand?” Thor asked.

“His name is _Kurt_ ,” she snarled, before she whirled on her heel and began prowling the room like a caged panther. “There has to be some way. I refuse to let him die.”

“What can we do?” Bruce asked, more than willing to do whatever she required.

“Natasha.”

She blinked owlishly and turned to Thor.

“He is the Hand. Do you truly understand his purpose?”

“He is a _child_.”

He shook his head. “No. He has never been allowed to be that.”

She bit her lip and looked away.

“The sisters of whom he spoke …”

She sighed. “My cousins, the Charmed Ones.”

Thor’s eyes widened. “And the others?”

“His coven is … was … the Pentad.”

Thor put his hands over his eyes before slowly dragging them down over his face. “And the Pentad has been broken?”

“If Quinn and Santana are dead, then yes,” she snapped.

“What else?”

“What does it matter now?” she screamed. “My brother is about to die!”

“We’re all about to die!” he howled, slamming his hand down on the table, cracking it in the middle and causing it to collapse inward, all of the food sliding down the floor.

“What are you talking about, Point Break?” Tony demanded.

Thor looked at him with cold eyes. “The Hand was prophesied before humans even walked this planet, when it was still ruled by Old Ones. The Hand was a last resort, a defense mechanism to be activated only if the need was so dire, so great, that the forces which govern this universe had no other choice.”

“What does that even mean?” Steve asked.

“Humans,” Thor said derisively, shaking his head. “So concerned with your petty squabbles you willingly live in ignorance, blind to the world around you.”

“Then why haven’t you opened your mouth before now?” Pepper barked, standing up. “You obviously know what’s going on, so why haven’t you ever said anything?”

“I do not know,” Thor insisted. “I had no idea the Hand had been activated. No one does.”

“What is the Hand supposed to do?” Bruce asked.

“The Hand is prophesied to be the most powerful user of magic in this dimension, what you mortals would call a witch.”

“Witch?” said a helpless Tony. “Witches are real now? _Magic_ is real?”

“You are familiar with my brother, are you not?”

Tony reddened and fell silent.

“There is an entire magical community that exists on Midgard.”

“Kurt said someone named Xander was taken by the Source to the Underworld,” Steve said. “Please tell me that was a euphemism.”

“Alas, I cannot. The Underworld is real and it is home to the demons of this realm.”

“Demons,” Pepper said faintly.

“Demons are the creatures witches fight.”

“How can we not know of this?” Bruce asked.

“Because you do not wish to know,” Thor answered. “No human truly wishes to consider the nature of Evil and its presence in this world. It is not a snake in a garden. It is a supernatural force, a primordial essence that is constantly seeking entrance into this reality. It is every vile thought, every wish for harm, every despicable action.”

“You’re talking about Evil as though it’s some … conscious … entity,” Tony said softly.

“It is. At the dawn of the universe, Magic herself created entities to govern it. If the universe was to function, then balance had to be maintained. Thus were the Powers That Be born, and the First Evil alongside them.”

Steve blanched and curled into a ball in his chair.

“Then came Higher Beings and the Wolf, Ram, and Hart. They are essentially what you would consider middle management. Their power is such that they cannot manifest themselves physically in this realm, so their actions have to be undertaken by agents. On the side of what is deemed _Good_ , you have the Elders, who oversee Whitelighters, who are guardians for witches. On the other side, you have the Source of All Evil, the overlord of upper-level demons.”

“This can’t be real,” said a shocked Bruce. “It just can’t be.”

“It is,” Thor insisted. He then explained about the creation of Midgard by the entity colloquially known as God, and of his counterpart, Lucifer. He explained about the Old Ones. He explained about Hellmouths and Nexuses, geophysical points of convergence for mystical energies. He told them of the ancient demons that lived beneath the earth, and the vampires that roamed it at night.

“What does Natasha’s brother have to do with all of this?” Clint exploded.

“The Gloaming,” Thor said, “the time when this world will die. The Hand is all that stands in the way of that happening.”

Natasha roared with laughter. “That’s what you think? You don’t know _anything_.”

“Explain.”

“Don’t presume to order me,” she hissed. “Think about what you said, god of thunder. The Powers That Be oversee this _dimension_ , not just this planet. Do you understand? Are you getting this yet?”

He paled.

She smirked and nodded. “There you go. You’re figuring it out. The Gloaming isn’t just an apocalypse, Thor. It’s _the_ Apocalypse. It is the destruction of this world, of all worlds, parallels and alternates, including your precious Asgard.”

“You lie.”

“What reason do I have to lie? God and Lucifer are _dead_. The Elders have taken the Charmed Ones, who, except possibly for my brother, are the only ones capable of killing the Source. All Slayers have been Called, so even if, by some miracle, this planet survives, if they all die, there will be no more. That means demons will overrun the earth and humanity will become extinct.”

“So that’s what this, an extinction event for the entire dimension?” Tony asked.

She nodded. “The Hand was prophesied. Kurt, my _seventeen-year-old_ brother, is the Hand. The Pentad, the strongest coven ever to exist, was prophesied. Kurt led that coven. These two safeguards were activated at _the same time_. Think about the enormity of that, of the necessity demanded. The Pentad is now broken.

“The Charmed Ones, my cousins, are three sisters, witches so powerful that their title is feared by all demons. Yet even they are not as powerful as my brother. They’ve managed to kill three Sources. Their brother, Xander, is a neophyte, not skilled enough in his magic to rival them.”

“There was no brother mentioned in the prophecy of the Charmed Ones,” said a confused Thor.

Natasha rolled her eyes and sighed. “So? How is that even relevant? But fine. The Charmed Ones originally consisted of Prue, Piper, and Phoebe. Prue died, became an agent of the Powers, and returned to earth to guide Kurt. Her half-sister Paige helped to reconstitute the Charmed Ones. What no one knew was that Paige had a twin, a brother named Alexander.”

“The defender of man,” Bruce murmured.

“I see you know your Greek. Xander was kidnapped as an infant and taken to the Hellmouth, where he grew up and eventually allied himself with the Slayer and her witch, who is a godling.”

Thor sneered. “Godlings are parasites, invoking powers that are not theirs by right.”

“Whatever. My family only found Xander, and me, a year ago. As good as he is, he’s nowhere near the league of his sisters and Kurt. Besides, he has his own prophecy. He is the One Who Sees.”

Thor inhaled sharply.

Tony stood. “Look, this is all actually very interesting, and the fact that magic is real is kind of awesome, but we’re all just standing around talking about the end of the world. How about we do something to, you know, stop that?”

“You are not magical,” Thor said.

“Maybe not, but I can fight. We all can. It sure as hell beats standing around and hoping for the best.”

Pepper nodded. “Tony’s right.”

“And what do you think you’re doing?” he demanded.

“Going with you. I might not be able to fight, but I can help move people. I can deliver basic first aid. I’m not just going to stay here wringing my hands and waiting for a phone call that might never come. This is the end of the world, Tony, not an alien invasion. Nothing else matters. We’re fighting for our right to exist.”

He swallowed heavily and gave her an uneasy nod.

“I’m in,” Steve said, rising to his feet.

Bruce nodded. “Me too.”

“It’s not even a question,” Clint said.

“S.H.I.E.L.D.?” Pepper asked.

“What’s the point?” Tony asked. “They’ll have their own work soon enough.”

“How do we get to Kurt?” Clint asked his best friend.

Natasha resumed her pacing. “If Xander’s been taken to the Underworld, they were in or around San Francisco. Kurt should still be there. I doubt he’d leave half his team. Even if we can’t find him, precisely, I can still get into Halliwell Manor. I might not be a witch, but I’m blood.”

“I’ll ready the jet,” Tony said, reaching for his phone.

“Not enough time,” she said. “I have a faster way.”

She crossed to the center of the room, closed her eyes and held her arms aloft. Suddenly, the entire room shook and, before her, a cloud of black smoke roiled as if angry.

“Why have you summoned me, Natasha?”

“You know why.”

He raised an unimpressed brow. “Are you truly asking me for another favor?”

“Yes.”

He smirked. “Very well. You know the consequences.”

“I do, and they’re worth the debt I will incur.”

He cocked his head and considered her. “No, I don’t think so. All debts between us are cleared, Natasha. I have no desire for this world to end.”

“Who the hell are you?” Tony asked.

“Ask Thor.”

The god had back himself up against the wall. “You are _Death_.”

“I also go by Harry. Nice to make your acquaintance.”


End file.
